Last Friday, I got a chance to witness the hefty emotions and cathartic experience that graduation frequently illicits in people. It was a scene that I missed during my own graduation from high school thirteen years ago.
When I graduated from Prince of Wales in 1999, I remember it feeling like a bit of a non-event. I was never all that concerned that I wouldn’t be able to finish. I came from a privileged home of loving and supportive parents with the means to support me in anyway deemed necessary. I was awkward and “down in the dumps” much of the time. But I never considered leaving school or changing the way I was doing things. Grad was a foregone conclusion. The question was just what my marks would be and which university I’d go to.
Last Friday, I attended the Vancouver School Board’s Adult Education Graduation Ceremony at John Oliver where for some students, nothing could be taken for granted. It was an eclectic and inspiring crowd.
Many of the students who walked across the stage that night had survived refugee camps, alcoholism, drug abuse and other significant life challenges. Their acceptance of the diploma was a vivid symbol that perseverance pays off.
Other students had chosen the Adult Ed path because they’d found the traditional routines of secondary schools overly constricting and difficult to manage. Their success at the district’s six Adult Ed Centres showcased that an alternative model like adult ed’s course-based curriculum can be just as effective in preparing students for post-secondary enrollment and success.
Finally there were mature students looking to improve their English, nail down an additional college pre-requisite course (or two) or just improve their marks.For many of these students, adult education served as a ladder to climb higher in pursuit of their career, education and life ambitions.
Throughout the Grad that evening, it was clear there was something special in the air. When a large proportion of your grads have managed to succeed despite (often considerable) adversity, that’s what tends to happen. There were many examples of these successes.
There was Suryya Jan who’d recently been awarded a full ride scholarship from UBC after surviving an awful earthquake in Pakistan and moving to Canada to excel both academically and in the community. There was Khine Htwe, a Burmese refugee who was made a class valedictorian and is headed to UBC to study science. And then there was Ali, a young Iranian student who survived years in a Turkish refugee camp until he was able to immigrate to Canada. Ali’s goal was to head to BCIT and one day become a food safety inspector so that he might help people avoid getting sick. The guy eked goodness and promise. More than anything his story (and the story of many other grads) reminded one to be thankful for our lot in life and conscience that with hard work and perseverance everything is possible. Talk about an inspiring community of people.